The United States of America has paid an average of $10.2 million every single goddamn hour since 2001 to maintain a military occupation of Afghanistan.

So the Aizhai Bridge costs approximately what the US spends to occupy Afghanistan for 58 hours. Less than 2 and a half days!

Two lousy days.

Or, put it another way: for the $800 billion that has been spent to occupy Afghanistan, the US could have completed 1,311 Aizhai Bridges (100 every year since the war began), or projects on a commensurate scale. Every US state could have had 26 such projects; and the jobs that go with them.

Wars do not inspire young men and women to do and build great things. That's a myth. Wars are not strengthening and enriching Americans today. They are weakening the nation – diminishing the nation.